Boltless rail chair and coupling.



rm-736,258. PATENTED AUG. 1.1.1903. F. H.' HOLMAN @L E. F. SHAWVBR.

BOLTLESS RAIL CHAIR AND GUPLING.

APPLI'OATION FILED nu 1s, 1903. No mmm..

i UNITED STA-*rss Patented August 11, 1903.r

FRANK I-I. HOLMAN AND ELMR F. SHAWVE-R, OF ELIZABETH, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,258, dated August 11, 1903i.

l l Application filed May 19, 1908. Serial No. 157,815. (No model.)

T all rebondit puny concern.-

`Be itknown theme, FRANK` H. HOLMAN anal ELMER F. SHAwvER, residing at Elizabeth, in

the county of J o Daviess and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Boltless Rail Chair and Coupling, of which the following is a specification.`

Our invention relates to 'improvements in that type of rail joints or couplings in which a pair ofoppositely-dsposed joint-plateshaving portions that extend under the rails and form a chair or bearings therefor are includedand which also have meansfor interlocking with the rails andwith each other; and our invention primarily has for its object to. pr-

` vide a rail joint or coupling means of the character stated of asimple and inexpensive na-L ture that can be readily applied for use and adapted to effectively serve for its intended purpose. l

Our invention comprehends a peculiar construction and detailed combination of parts,

all of which willhereinafterbe fully explained,

` and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, :reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a perspective view of the meeting ends of a pair of rail-sections with our improvements applied. .Fig 2 is a horizontal section of the same, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sections thereof, taken, respectively, on the lines 3 3 and 4t tof Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of the two-'part coupling members separated. Fig. 6 is a detail view of a blank from which the said coupling members are formed.

In the practical construction our improved coupling or rail-joint comprises but two parts,

(designated A and 13,) which are constructed alike and arranged as opposing members, whereby to engage with the meeting ends of the rails, as best shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, by reference to which it will be noticed each of the said members A and B is formed of a single piece of metal bent up or otherwise constructed from a blank sheet having the shape shown-in Fig.'6 and which in its con1 plete form consists of along bearing-plate l, which forms a substitute for the ordinary lishplate, andthe said plate 1 has integral nibs or studs la la, that project inwardly to fit into the usual bolt-apertures c c in the meeting ends of the rail-sections C C, as clearly'shown in Fig. 2, from which it'will alsobe seen the studs la onA the plate 1 of themember B engagewith one side of the rail ends C C and the studs 1"-, projected into the bolt-apertures c c (or recesses) from that side, and the plate 1a of the member A engages the other side of the rail ends C C, with its studs entering the bolt-apertures on the said side and opposing the studs 1ad on the plate 1 of the member B.

The plates ln of the members Aand B each have their lower ends bent outwardly, as at a,`to snugly tit on the upper beveled face of the base of the rails C, and at one end the bent portions a merge with a horizontal member a', which extends transversely under the rail-base and forms a chair or bearing therefor, and the said portion a is of a length'suficient to extend beyond the foot or flange of the rail at the opposite side, for the reasons to presently appear.

The Vhorizontal portiona of the members A and B extends about one-half, more or less, 4the length of the plate portions l, and that end of the flange member @beyond the portion a'is bent down, as indicated. by ax, to lap over the corresponding edge of the railbase, and the said portion ax of the sections A and B are bent down sufficiently to rest upon the transversely-projected horizontal mmembers a', the portionv ctx of the section a resting on the base member a of the sectionV B, and the portion ax of the section B rests on the portion a of the section A, as shown. The outer edge of the flange portions of the sections A and B have spike-notches 5, which when the parts are assembled register with the spike-apertures in the horizontal extensions a to provide for the convenient insertion of the spikes D D. At the outer edge each member a may have an upturned flange a5, if desirable, which overlaps the edge of the adjacent covered portions a6 of the base members A and B. This ilange may, however, 'be dispensed with in the practical use of"our invention. n

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will loe apparent that by constructing the parts A and B in the manner stated and shown the said parts act as opposing clamp members, the one being connected with the rail-section,

IOS

while the member B is made fast to the opposite side of the rail ends, with its portion at apertured in a reverse direction to the portion a on the member A and under the end of the opposing rail-section. Thus the two parts A and B firmly interlock with the rail ends to prevent longitudinal separation or creeping thereof through the medium of the studs engaging the holes or seats in the faces of the rails and by reason of the two cross portions ct a. abutting each other endwise, longitudinal play of the two members being further prevented by the flanges co5.

The cross portions ct' a form solid metal chairs or seats for the rails, and by reason of the turn portions 0.6 at the opposite sides of the rails and the spike-fastening in the ends of the portions a the coupling or joint is held from lateral play in a manner to rigidly retain the rails when in a proper alinernent.

We are aware that it is not broadly new to provide a combined metallic rail coupling or chair composed of two opposing clamping members having means for attaching to a -tie and bent into a shape to clamp the web and base of the rails.

Our invention, so far as we know, differentiates from what has heretofore been done in this line in the peculiar manner in which the opposing clamping members A and B are constructed and in their correlation when the parts are assembled, the transverselyprojecting horizontal extensions turned from one end of the foot portion of the clamping members, the downwardly-bent portions of the remainder of the other end of the said clamping members, the alternately-disposed arrangement of the horizontal members, and the end or locking fianges, as hereinafter set out in the claims. v

. Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A rail chair and couplingpcomprising in combination; a pair of opposing metallic clamp members, each having a vertical member for engaging the web or side of the rail provided with portions adapted to interlock with the apertures in the rails, the lower end of the said vertical members terminating in horizontallyinclined foot portions for engaging the top of the rail-base anges, said foot portions having their outer end bent to fit over the edge of said rail-base flanges, said foot portions also having fiat transversely-projected horizontal extensionsadapted to fit under and project beyond the rails and the horizontal extension of one member being projected in oppositev direction to the other member, said horizont-al extensions being provided with bent-up portions to interlock with each other at the ends, as shown.

2. The combination with the meeting ends of a pair of rails; the coupling means therefor consisting of a pair of oppositely-disposed metallic members each including a long clamping portion adapted to engage with and straddle the meeting ends of a pair of railsections and provided with bulges or ribs to enter the rail-apertures, the lower end of said clamping portions being inclined downwardly and outwardly to engage the upper face of the base-flanges of the rails, said lower portions having downwardly and transversely and inwardly bent horizontal extensions that form chairs or bearings for the rail end, said extensions being of greater length than the width of the rails and alternately disposed, the free end of one extension being projected under the downturned edge of the base-ange-engaging portion of the opposing clamp member, and provided with upturned flanges forengaging the outer edge of the said base-flauge-engaging member, the baseange portions and the coincident end of the horizontal extension having alining openings to receive the securingspikes, as set forth.

3. As animprovement inrail couplings and chairs, a metallic clamp comprising a longitudinal clamping member adapted to straddle the meeting ends of a pair of rails, said clamping member including a vertical portion, and outwardly and downwardly bent foot portion adapted to engage the upper face of the base-flange, said foot portion merging at one end with a transversely-projected horizontal extension of a length sufficient to project under and beyond the rail and the other end of said foot member terminating in a downwardly-bent edge, one end of the horizontal extension having an upturned flange and the other end of said extension and the bent edge of the foot portion of the clamp having spike-receiving openings, all being arranged substantially as shown and described.

FRANK H. HOLMAN. ELMER F. SHAWVER. Witnesses:

N. A. GAULT, C. H. BRAY. 

